lisibee815's reviews
828 reviews

funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Neighbors Charlotte and Seth find themselves stranded in their respective apartments for a weekend, both coping with personal problems of varying degrees. Spending time together during Valentine's Day weekend helps them both to start healing, but will it turn into something more? Quick and sweet read with a unique meet-cute and an HEA. Seth and Charlotte were very cute together (and so were Izzy and Gabe!). Dual 1st-person POVs. I have read the author before and I don't always click with her books but this one hit the spot! Pay attention to the author's trigger warnings as there are some darker themes. Despite that, there's a nice amount of humor in this forced-proximity romance. I love short stories like this that are a sweet vignette, like a glimpse into a bigger story but nicely encapsulated. I wouldn't have minded a longer story about these four! I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

Content Warnings

Lights Out by Navessa Allen

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I'm probably not the right audience for this book, for two reasons. First, I'm okay with morally gray but the characters are "new adult" age (26/27?) and once I knew that, at my age (52) it got a lot harder to relate to them. Whoever writes book descriptions, I'm begging you, please starting putting character ages in there! I cannot read another book with people young enough to be my kids doing the kind of stuff these two were doing lol. 🫣 (Their actions and attitudes also made them seem older/more mature, as did their jobs, which is partly why I was so thrown when their ages were revealed.) It made it harder for me to enjoy the plot; for the bulk of the second half of the book, I just kept wanting to have a gentle conversation with the both of them about their decision-making skills lol. The second reason is I feel like there was a lot of hype around this book (looking at you Booktok), and for me it just didn't live up to the hype.

That said, this book was surprisingly sweet. It was also unsurprisingly explicit; this book has been out since last year so I probably don't need to say this but pay attention to the trigger warnings (both for the sexual content but also for allllllll the other stuff, there's a LOT going on in this book). I really enjoyed the amount of humor and the banter, and Josh's earnestness and caring for Aly added a nice depth to the story (as did their genuine connection). This was a new-to-me author and I enjoyed her writing, so I'll likely read her again.

The Son of Sun and Sand by Elizabeth Gannon

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I've got to say, I did not expect to laugh so much while reading about an emotionally-stunted trans-dimensional cosmic warlord bent on universal domination, and yet here we are. That said, as much as I enjoyed this book overall (a solid 2nd installment in the series), the proportion of dialogue to action was not to my liking. The inner dialogue was helpful, as were Kasos's flashbacks, but even the inner thoughts seemed disproportionate to the action. I didn't find it to be a quick read, both due to some uneven pacing and the density of the writing, but it picked up quite a bit towards the end. I really enjoyed it overall. Kasos was an unlikeable character in the first book, and the author did a great job with making him more understandable. Check content warnings, there's violence and some gore. (There was also some wording around forced sex in the context of sexual intimacy and desire that I didn't really like, but no actual coercive acts. Your mileage may vary.)

Kass and Rayn's unexpectedly sweet relationship developed nicely, which was a tricky feat given their millenia-long kidnapper-hostage dynamic. I'm enjoying the overall snark and wit, and with each book I'm getting a better feel for the individual villlains and the group's dynamic. I'm hooked now, the Librarian and Cynic are book 3 and I need to see what happens next with the Consortium of Chaos!

Content Warnings

A Fire at Romanticon: A Steamy, Contemporary Fish Out of Water Redemption RomCom, Set in the Romance Book World by H.L. Brooks

Go to review page

lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I'm always happy to see contemporary romance books with mid-life representation. Quick and easy read (body-positive, age-gap, open-door). But some of the situations and interactions were extremely simplistic and a little clumsy. (I got whiplash from one of the pivotal relationship moments, a fight that turned on a dime and left me a bit confused, but it clearly existed just to move the plot along. And did I miss the part where she talked to any of her three children about *anything* that happened with their dad?) Not a lot of depth here but this romance was enjoyable enough, the book convention scenes were fun, and Peach got her HEA.

Content Warnings

The Big Fix by Holly James

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Penny is a tenure-track college professor whose short-term life plan was to spend the summer finalizing her case for tenure. Anthony's Uncle Lou died recently and left him responsible for emptying his uncle's mansion. Penny's sister tricks her into going to his estate sale, ostensibly to fix her up with Anthony. But who would have thought there'd be a dead body mixed in with the priceless antiques? Mystery/criminal caper mixed with insta-lust (but closed-door) romance, witty writing but not LOL. Slow-ish to start, but the pacing picked up around 30%. I really love the fantastic pop-art inspired cover!

But, overall I may not have been the right audience for this one. I've read this author before and enjoyed her books but this one didn't resonate with me as much. I was aggravated with Penny in the beginning: you are clearly a smart woman and you *know* Anthony is surrounded by scary people, but you poke around anyway and insert yourself into danger? It was like she abandoned all of her common sense, at least partly because of attraction, and the insta-lust between the two felt like a plot device meant to distract from the poor judgment of the main characters. Unfortunately that aggravation stuck with me during the rest of the book. Penny was surprisingly impulsive and it felt out-of-character at times (especially for a woman who had been fighting hard for five years to be taken seriously in her male-dominated profession, although in retrospect maybe that should have been a clue to me that she was tenacious and wouldn't give up when presented with a mystery/puzzle to solve). Pay attention to content warnings, especially if you're squeamish, there was some content that took me by surprise (mostly some graphic injury detail, but at least one other thing that would spoil part of the plot if I included it here). Bit too much hills-and-valleys with the tension for me and some of the reveals felt anticlimactic. But if you love forced proximity, perilous situations, and insta-attraction then this quick read is a great way to spend a few escapist hours! Publishes March 25, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing an eARC of this story, all opinions are my own.

Content Warnings

Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter

Go to review page

Did not finish book.

Couldn't get into it, banter was a bit too cutesy for me, I should have paid closer attention to the fact that this was a workplace romance which are not my favorite

Yesterday's Heroes by Elizabeth Gannon

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Fun but dense read, could have been a bit shorter.

Content Warnings

Emergency Contact by Anthony Ledonne, Lauren Layne

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

How to Date a Henchman by Mari Fee

Go to review page

3.25

All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Vanessa is the shy CEO of her own PR firm and, despite her desire to personally avoid other people, is very good at her job. The Pyro (Roland) is a supernatural being and free agent, neither villain nor hero at the beginning of the story but leaning towards villain in the public eye. He works with Vanessa's firm to rebrand himself as a hero. As shy Vanessa and ultra-grouchy Roland get to know one another professionally, the line between work life and personal life blurs dramatically, especially as forces out of their control conspire to threaten their world. This was such a great premise! I thought the superhero/civilian tension worked well. And Roland and Vanessa work very well together as a couple (but I also really liked them both individually). Roland and Vanessa's initial meet-cute gone bad masks strong feelings between two individuals who both think themselves incapable of love and of being loved. Vanessa and Roland were sweet together as each learned to let down their guard. Dual POVs. Open-door, very insta-love (but because he's a sexy alien you roll with it), with a very fated-mates feel. Great supporting characters, Vanessa's family was fantastic and very believable as her dedicated support system, as was her employee and best friend Margerie. I wish Roland had more social support of his own, but then I guess he has Vanessa and her family/friends for that.

This is a new-to-me author, I would definitely read her again! With the mystery of who the Forty-Eight really are and where they came from (and why they came to Earth in the first place), there's a lot of leeway for the author to get creative, which she did. This kind of sci-fi is perfect for me, there's minimal world-building to follow since it's really just an alt-universe Earth that has supernatural superheroes and villains. (It also helps that they all seem to be ridiculously stunning.) Do pay attention to content warnings, as there are some heavier themes that the author handles with care. Written with wit, this was just a lot of fun to read, and there was an HEA for Roland and Vanessa that satisfied my mushy side. This book made me want to abandon all responsibilities and read all day instead. And it feels like the start of a series, so I really hope there's a next installment! Publishes May 27, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an eARC of this story, all opinions are my own.

Content Warnings

More...

lisibee815's reviews 828 reviews

lisibee815's reviews
828 reviews